Proposed Job, Program Cuts Would Save Asd $2.2 Million

June 18, 1992|by SUSAN SNYDER, The Morning Call

Allentown School Board members tonight will consider a proposal to lop 40 minutes off the school day of elementary children, kill close to 60 positions and cut deeply into programs such as home economics, driver education, elementary art and music, sports and other extracurriculars.

The plan, which would save the district $2.2 million, was introduced to board members last night at a meeting that ended with one director asking School Board President Willard Clewell to resign.

The suggestion was cheered by the crowd, most of them teachers, but later snubbed by Clewell.

Acting Superintendent Ray Erb presented the School Board with four pages of cuts that, if approved, would reduce a proposed 1992-93 tax increase from 4.97 mills to 3.44 mills, a drop of 1.53 mills, or 30 percent.

The average property owner whose home has an assessed value of $50,000 would pay an extra $172 if the cuts are accepted by the board.

Many of the cuts cannot be made without the approval of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. School officials must pass a budget by June 30.

Clewell at the end of the session stood up in front of about 200 people -- including leaders of the teachers union that has filed a labor action against him for his comments about teachers -- and shouted that $14,000 has been donated to pay for scoreboards at one of the high schools.

He also said Allen High School Athletic Director Lester Kish is leading an effort to get advertisements on billboards in the J. Birney Crum stadium, which could bring in enough revenue to save sports and extracurricular activities.

In the middle of Clewell's impromptu remarks, a solemn-faced Allentown Education Association President Fern Mann and other union leaders stood up and walked out.

"We felt that Willard's statement about selling advertising space calls into question his sense of priority, and we also have to ask about his sense of reality," Mann said later.

"We were there worried about education, and he's talking about billboard space. It was just too bizarre for us to handle, and that's why we walked."

Board member Thomas Ruhe also walked out on Clewell.

"Dr. Clewell," Ruhe said, "this board did not authorize you to be our spokesman. You're stepping out of line."

The crowd cheered.

Director Norman Ziegler then yelled at Clewell for his comment to The Morning Call that a social studies teacher probably would wind up working in the ladies underwear section at Hess's if he or she lost a teaching job.

"I own a certificate in Pennsylvania to teach social studies, and I was embarrassed by your remark," Ziegler yelled at Clewell.

Members of the crowd shouted, "Resign, resign." Some of the teachers, including Mann, wore Hess's pins.

"Yes, I agree you ought to step down," Ziegler yelled at Clewell.

Ziegler later apologized for losing his temper, but said he will ask Clewell again to resign at tonight's meeting at 7 in the district administration building on Penn Street.

"His credibility has been lost, not only with the teachers, but with the public and everybody," Ziegler said.

Clewell in an interview later said he will not resign.

He attacked Ziegler for not attending supply committee meetings, Lehigh County Vocational Technical School and other meetings. He also said Ziegler was aware of a legislative committee meeting, did not attend and later lied and said he didn't know about it.

"Now when we have somebody who is derelict in his duties, lies to the public, lies to the board and he asks me to resign, hah!" Clewell said.

Most board members were mum on whether they would support the cuts. Glenn Snyder said he regretfully would, and Milo Sewards said he emphatically would not.

Mann promised that the union would fight every furlough. Thirty-six teaching positions are on the line.

"We will use whatever means available to us," she said.

The union will file grievances and hound the district as it applies to the Education Department to approve the cuts. Mann said she is in touch with the union president from the Reading School District.

A plan by the Reading School Board to reduce elementary art, music, physical education and health and guidance counseling programs recently was rejected by the Education Department, Reading Superintendent James Goodhart said from his home last night. He said 44 teaching positions would have been cut.

The reasons why the plan was rejected were not available last night.

Erb said he does not know if Allentown would have a better chance of getting a cut plan approved.

"You never know until you actually submit your written request," he said.

Among the cuts proposed are:

*Eliminating four elementary and middle school art teachers, four music teachers, at least five elementary physical education teachers and three library science teachers. Regular classroom teachers will be called on to do the work.

*Eliminate three dental hygienists.

*Charge students $35 for on-the-road driver education classes.

*Eliminate several home economics and industrial arts teachers for a savings of $349,928.

*Curtail an elementary program that allows students to experience foreign languages.

*Reduce drop-out prevention programs.

*Eliminate high school rifle lessons, tennis for boys and girls, golf and gymnastics, also middle school gymnastics and all high school and middle school intramurals.

*Reduce by two-thirds the budget for high school and middle school extracurricular activities, such as the newspaper, yearbook and band.

*Eliminate a position in the district's "English for Speakers of Other Languages" and reduce the number of paraprofessional hours.

*Stop mailing report cards home to high school students (will save $825).

*Eliminate 16 paraprofessionals, some who help teachers in elementary classes with more than 30 students.